Delivery-truck.



W. LYTTON &r. TEDFORD. DELIVERY TRUCK. APPLICATION FILED `.TAN. 8, 1912.

3 BHEETSSHEET l.

WIL@

W. LYTTON L J. TEDFORD.

DELIVERY TRUCK.

APPIIOATION FILED JAN. 8, 1912.

1,082,164, i f Patented 1160.23, 1913.

3 SHBETB-BEBET 2.

Jas/2nd Ted/602461! W. LYTTON & J. TEDPORD.

DELIVERY TRUCK. APPLIoATIoN FILED JAN. a, 1912.

1,082,164. Patented Dec. 23, 1913.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 8.

77W W www To all whom it may concern.

UNITED sTArEsm-rnrnnir demon.

4TALTIER LYTTON .AND JOSHUA TEDFORD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOS; SAID TEDFORD i ASSIGNOR TO SAID LYTTON.

DELIVERY-TRUCK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented 1100.23. 1 913.

Application led January 8, 1912. Serial No. 670.114.

Be it known that we, WALTER Lr'r'roN and JOSHUA Talmont), citizens of the United States, and residents of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and usefulv Improvements in Delivery-Trucks, of which the following is a specification, and which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a parttheref.

The 'invention relates to delivery trucks and particularly to those used for the con-' voyance of a large number of relatively small parcels desired to be separately delivered Aat different places along the route traversed by the truck.

The objects of the invention are to facilitate the loading of conveyances of this character and to render the packages more readily accessible therein.

'I To this end the invention contemplates a conveyance having its body divided into suitable compartments all of which are accessible from one end of the body. Usually these compartments will be contained within a crate or case adapted to be removed from the body of the conveyance whereby they may be tilled when the crate is so removed and the loading of the truckl affected by returning the filled crate into the body.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a central longitudinal sectional view showing details of a delivery truck embody ing the features of improvement provided by the invention. Fig. 2 is a lan View of the crate shown within the bo y of the delivery truck illustrated in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an end view of the crate showing details of the truck in cross section. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view illustrating a form of latch which may be used for securing the crate Within the body of the truck. Fig. 5 is ardetail plan view illustrating a form of hingedconnector which may be used for uniti-ng Ithe parts of the crate illustrated in hood or roof 13. Doorsl 14 extending from the floor 12 to the root 13 are used for closing the rear end ot the body and a sca' 15 extends across the body adjacent its 'front end. The particular forni of the invention illustrated provides for the loadinn' of' the body of the conveyance through the doors 14 at the rear end 'and permits all of 'the parcels constituting the load to be reached by a person occupying the seat 15 whereby their delivery may be effected without entering the body 10 from thefrear.

As shown, a crate generally designated 16 removably hel-d within the body 10 in rear of the seat l5. To facilitate the introduction and removal of this crate through the doors 14,.it is equipped with carrying wheels-17 which run upon `thc floor 12 of the body 10. If desired -the Hoor 12 may be provided with rails 1S' adapted for engage ment by the carrying wheels 17 ot the crate 16. By-making these rails of the Agrooved form shown in Fig. 3, lateral displacement of the crate within the body is prevented. For preventing longitiulina] movement of the crate 16 within the/body. 10 ofthe conveyance during the travel of the conveyance, a latch 19 is employed for securing the crate to the floor-.12. As shown, the latch 19 is hingedly connected to the floor 12 at 20 and it is provided with an' aperture 21 at its free end for engaging an appurtenance of the crate 16` as the staple 22. The free end of the latch 19 is firmly con-v nected to the staple 22 by any convenient means, ars for example, the padlock shown at 23.

' vMost desirably the crate 16 has slatted in place with the latch 19. lVhen this practice is followed the conveyance may bensed for another purpose during the filling` of the crate, as for example, the delivery ot' parcels contained in another' similar crate (ntshown).

In order thatV all of the parcels contained Within the crate 16 may be accessible to a person occupying the seat l5 by simply reaching over thelba-ck of th'e seat, the crate `is divided into a plurality of compartments `'and provision is made for moving the co tents of those compartments which .are lo.l cated adjacent the rear end of the 'crate to' shelves 28 and 29 may be transversely di.

vided at .the .midlength of the crate by a swinging gate 30. As shown, the gate 30 and movable shelf 28 are both connected to the shelf 29 .bya plurality of hinges 31. One of these hinges is shown in detail in Fig. 5of the drawings. It comprises a pluralityof leaves or parts, as 33, 34, 35 and 36, all mounted -upcn a common pintle 32. The two outer lea'ves or parts of the hinge 31, as 33, 34,` are secured to the stationary shelf 29.- One ofthe intermediate parts of thehinge, as 35, is .secured to the movable partition 28 and a fourth part 0f the h-inge, as 36, is secured to the IgateBO. Spring latches 37 and 384 secured to the4 opposite side walls 24 and 25 of the crate 16 and engageable with the gate 30 at its opposite ends, serve to relea'sably hold the gate in the upright central position illustrated by full lines in Figsl, 2 and 3 of thefdrawin s. In practice,the parcels held by the shel 29 in front of the gate 30 will first be discharged and the gate 30 will then be turned down upon the shelf 29, as indicated by the dotted line on Fig. 1.

- In order that the packages supported by the shelf 28 in rear Qf the gate 30 may then be accessible to a person occupying the seat 15, provision is made for raising the shelf E28 to discharge 'its load upon the gate 30 as it rests'upon the partition 29 whereby the shelf 28 serves in effect, as a movable .follower adapted to carry -its load forwardly betweenthe side walls 24, 25 of .the crate. As shown, the free end of the shelf28 is normally supported by brackets 39 and 40, one of which is secured to eachof the side members 24 and 25 of the crate. Forrais` ing the shelf 28 a cord 41 attached to the free end of the shelf, as at 42, is used. This cord preferably extends to a position which is conveniently accessible to a person occupying the seat 15, as by being passed over guide pulleys 43 and 44. secured 'to the unerside of the roof 13.', If desired provision may also bemade for moving packages contained in the lower part of the crate below '16 have been discharged, the

the shelf 28 forwardly when those which have been held in the forward part of the crate below the shelf 29 have been discharged. As shown, a boxl 45, slidably mounted upon the floor of the crate 16 is used for this purpose. This box is' preferably4 substantially equal in length to half this box will be moved forwardly by sliding it upon the floor of the crate 16 to bring the packages contained therein within easyii' reach of a person'occupying'the seat 15.

The form of construction illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 of the drawings provides four divisions or compartments within Vwhich packages may be retained. A convenient method ofusing the device is tb load the crate 16 when ithasbeen removed from the body 10 of the conveyance, smaller parcels being placed updn the shelves 28 and 29 andlarger parcels in the space below` the shelf 29. and in the box 45. Usually the parcels desired.to be first discharged will be located in front of the midlength of the' crate, the smallerv parcels beingupon the partition 29 inl front of theA gate 30 and the large parcels below the partition 29 iniV front of the space occupied by` the box 45.". The parcels desired to be discharged during the latter part of the travel ofthe conveyance upon a predetermined route will be=placed in rear of the midlengith of the crate, the smaller' parcels upon the shelf 28 in rear of the gate 30 and the larger parcels within the box 45.a VVhen'the cratel 1 6 has been placed within the body 10 of the conveyance and the doors- 14 closed, the parcels to be delivered may be'selected from the crate 16 by a person occupying the seat 15 durin the travel' of the conveyance.v Deliveries \o the parcels may accordingly be made immediately upon the' arrival of the conveyance at the place to which the parcelsare directed. When the parcels. which were ori inallylocated in front of the midlengh o? L te 30..will` be swung forwardly and the partltion 28 raised to discharge its load upon the up rside ofthe gate as it rests upon the shelt). At

the same time the box-45 will be drawn forwardlylto bring it into an accessible position beneath the shelf 29;"*The entire contents' of the crate are thereby rendered accessible from one end of the conveyance whereby in making deliveries it is; unnecessary to enter the body l-from the rear.

the crateVA lower compartments/48, 49 by a4 horizontalshelf 50. This shelf preferablyextends' the entire length of the crate. Each of the compartments ,48, 49 is closed at the rear end of `the crate Aby a movable follower, as 51, 52. These followers are adapted to be drawn forwardly in their respective compartments as the contents of the compartments adjacent the open end of the crate are discharged. To this end cach of the followers 51', 52 is secured to one end .of a. traveling apron, as 53, 54`Which extends forwardly therefrom over the floor of the corresponding 'compartment to the open end of the crate where it turns over a guide roller, as 55, 56 and is wound upon a drum, as 57, 58. Each of the drums 57, 58 is operated by a hand ,wheel 59 located at one side of the crate.

In the use of the crate 46 illustrated in Figs.V 6 and 7 0f the drawings, ythe parcels desired to be first discharged will be placed in the compartments 48 and 49 adjacent the open end of the crate, the smaller parcels being placed in the compartment 48 and larger parcels in the compartment49. Parcels desired to be discharged during the latter part of the travel of the conveyance will be located adjacent the followers 51 and 52. As the parcels located adjacent the open end of the crate 46 aredischarged, the followers 51 and 52 will be drawn forwardly by turning` the drums 57 and 58. By this means all of the parcels contained within the crate are rendered accessible from its open end', as in the form of "construction illustrated in Figs. 1', 2 and 3.

We claim as our invention- 1. In combination, a delivery truck having a body, a crate removably held within the body of the truck and substantially filling the same, and a follower movable through the -crate toward one end of the body of the trucl'z.

2. In combinatlon, a delivery truck havingai body, a crate removably held within 4the body of the truck and substantially lling the same, a. follower movable through the crate toward one end of the body of the truck, and means for manually-,actuating the follower said means being located` at the end of the body of the truck toward which the follower is movable.

3.- In combination, a ydelivery 'truck having a body, a swinging. gatetransversely di-` v 4viding the body and a forwardly movable follower in rear of the gate.

4. In combination, :i delivery truck' hav-i ing a body, and a pair of shelves extending in opposite directions from'a transverse linewithin the body, one of the said shelves being fixed in the body and the other shelf be'- ing aovable -to deliver its load upon the fixed shelf. 'i i i 4, 5. In combination, a delivery truck havmg a body, a pair of shelves inclined upwardly in opposite directions from a transverseline within the body, one of the said shelves being fixed and the other movable, lthe adjacent edges of the two shelves being hingedly connected whereby the movable shelf may be raised to discharge its load upon t-he fixed shelf, and a transverse swinging gate dividing the space embraced by the shelves. i V

6v. In combination, a delivery truck having a body, a crate removably held within the body of the truck and substantially filling the same; a swinging gate transversely dividing the crateand a forwardly movable carrier wit-hin the crate in rear of the gate. 7. In combination, a delivery truck having a body, a crate removably held within the body of the truck and substantially filling the same; and a pair of shelves extending in opposite directions from a ltransverse line within the crate, one of the said shelves bef ing fixed in the crate and the other shelf being movablel to deliver its'load upon the fixed shelf.

8. In combination,4 a delivery truck havinga body, a crate removably held within the body of the truck and substantially filling the same, a pair of shelves extending in opposite directions from a transverse line j within the crate, one of said shelves lbeing fixed in the crate and the other shelf being movable to deliver its load upon the fixed 7 A WALTER LYTTON.

truck` hav- I JOSHUA razor-oai). V, i

- Witnesses: X.

CHARLES-B. GILLsoN,

E. M. KLA'roHx-m. 

